Yale University – Opportunities in Academic Excellence

Yale University comprises three major academic components: Yale College (the undergraduate program), the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, and the professional schools. In addition, Yale encompasses a wide array of centers and programs, libraries, museums, and administrative support offices. Approximately 11,250 students attend Yale.

Welcome to Yale – from President Richard C. Levin

We invite you to visit us at any time—in person or through this site—and explore the life of our campus.

Some people think of Yale primarily as an undergraduate school, Yale College. Yale is indeed well known for the strength of its college, where its 5,200 students learn to lead and serve not only through a strong academic curriculum but also by participation in a host of extracurricular activities, from athletics to community service. Yale students are famous for forming and shaping their own clubs and organizations. More than 240 student organizations now exist, some over a century old and others formed just this year.

Yale is also a major research university. Led by a distinguished faculty, it carries on its education and research on the graduate level in our graduate and professional schools: the graduate school of arts and sciences, divinity, engineering & applied science, forestry & environmental studies, law, management, medicine,nursing, public health, and four schools of the arts:architecture, art, drama, and music. The University is home to one of the world’s great libraries and three outstanding public museums and galleries—Peabody Museum of Natural History, the University Art Gallery, and the Center for British Art—that help to enrich the cultural climate of the university and city.

Founded in 1701, Yale is a university with honored traditions. In the diversity of its students, its global outlook, and its outstanding research, it is also a university of compelling change. We welcome your interest in the University and in our community. Please browse Yale’s Web pages for information on all aspects of the University and the activities of its students, faculty, and staff. If you are in the New Haven area, our Visitor Center offers daily tours of the campus and its architecture and facilities.

Richard C. Levin, President

History of Yale

You are invited to view an illustrated timeline of Yale’s history in addition to reading the brief overview on this page.

Yale’s roots can be traced back to the 1640s, when colonial clergymen led an effort to establish a college in New Haven to preserve the tradition of European liberal education in the New World. This vision was fulfilled in 1701, when the charter was granted for a school “wherein Youth may be instructed in the Arts and Sciences [and] through the blessing of Almighty God may be fitted for Publick employment both in Church and Civil State.” In 1718 the school was renamed “Yale College” in gratitude to the Welsh merchant Elihu Yale, who had donated the proceeds from the sale of nine bales of goods together with 417 books and a portrait of King George I.

Yale Charter

Yale College survived the American Revolutionary War (1775–1783) intact and, by the end of its first hundred years, had grown rapidly. The nineteenth and twentieth centuries brought the establishment of the graduate and professional schools that would make Yale a true university. The Yale School of Medicine was chartered in 1810, followed by the Divinity School in 1822, the Law School in 1824, and the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences in 1847 (which, in 1861, awarded the first Ph.D. in the United States), followed by the schools of Art in 1869, Music in 1894, Forestry & Environmental Studies in 1900, Nursing in 1923, Drama in 1955, Architecture in 1972, and Management in 1974.

International students have made their way to Yale since the 1830s, when the first Latin American student enrolled. The first Chinese citizen to earn a degree at a Western college or university came to Yale in 1850. Today, international students make up nearly 9 percent of the undergraduate student body, and 16 percent of all students at the University. Yale’s distinguished faculty includes many who have been trained or educated abroad and many whose fields of research have a global emphasis; and international studies and exchanges play an increasingly important role in the Yale College curriculum. The University began admitting women students at the graduate level in 1869, and as undergraduates in 1969.

Yale College was transformed, beginning in the early 1930s, by the establishment of residential colleges. Taking medieval English universities such as Oxford and Cambridge as its model, this distinctive system divides the undergraduate population into twelve separate communities of approximately 450 members each, thereby enabling Yale to offer its students both the intimacy of a small college environment and the vast resources of a major research university. Each college surrounds a courtyard and occupies up to a full city block, providing a congenial community where residents live, eat, socialize, and pursue a variety of academic and extracurricular activities. Each college has a master and dean, as well as a number of resident faculty members known as fellows, and each has its own dining hall, library, seminar rooms, recreation lounges, and other facilities.

Today, Yale has matured into one of the world’s great universities. Its 11,000 students come from all fifty American states and from 108 countries. The 3,200-member faculty is a richly diverse group of men and women who are leaders in their respective fields. The central campus now covers 310 acres (125 hectares) stretching from the School of Nursing in downtown New Haven to tree-shaded residential neighborhoods around the Divinity School. Yale’s 260 buildings include contributions from distinguished architects of every period in its history. Styles range from New England Colonial to High Victorian Gothic, from Moorish Revival to contemporary. Yale’s buildings, towers, lawns, courtyards, walkways, gates, and arches comprise what one architecture critic has called “the most beautiful urban campus in America.” Yale’s West Campus, located 7 miles west of downtown New Haven on 136 acres, was acquired in 2007 and includes 1.6 million square feet of research, office, and warehouse space that provides opportunities to enhance the University’s medical and scientific research and other academic programs. The University also maintains over 600 acres (243 hectares) of athletic fields and natural preserves just a short bus ride from the center of town.

Yale Academic Programs

Teaching and research at Yale University are organized through the schools, departments, and programs.

The undergraduate school, Yale College, is the heart of the University. More than 2,000 undergraduate courses in the liberal arts and sciences are offered each year by over sixty-five departments and programs, forming a curriculum of remarkable breadth and depth. The faculty is dedicated to undergraduate teaching, and many of Yale’s most distinguished professors teach introductory-level courses.

Health and Medicine at Yale

Yale is home to a world-class medical center comprising more than a dozen institutions, including the School of Medicine (chartered in 1810), which has been educating leaders, caring for patients, and investigating the scientific basis of health and disease for nearly 200 years. Among its 27 departments are one of the nation’s oldest schools of public health and the internationally recognized Child Study Center, founded in 1911. The School of Nursing trains outstanding leaders in nursing practice, research, and education. Affiliated institutions include the 944-bed Yale-New Haven Hospital—flagship of the Yale New Haven Health System—and the Yale Cancer Center, Connecticut Mental Health Center, Pierce Laboratory, and VA Connecticut Healthcare System in nearby West Haven.

Prospective Yale Student-Athletes

Thank you for your interest in Yale Athletics. There are many important rules and obligations you will need to understand in order to be eligible for competition at the collegiate level. The following information and links to other sites will help you get started in the right direction.

Definitions

Prospective Student-Athlete
You become a “prospect” when you begin classes for the ninth grade, OR if the institution provides you with any financial assistance or other benefits that the institution does not provide to prospective students generally. . In addition, student-athletes enrolled in preparatory school or two-year colleges, or those who have officially with drawn from a four-year school, are considered prospects.

Recruited Prospective Student-Athlete
You become a “recruited student-athlete” when an institution’s staff members or athletics representative provides you with any of the following;
a) An official paid visit
b) Having an arranged, in-person, off-campus encounter with you or your parents or legal guardians
c) Initiating or arranging a telephone contact with you, your parents, or your legal guardians on more than one occasion for the purpose of recruitment
d) Issuing a National Letter of Intent or the institution’s written offer of athletically related financial aid

NCAA Clearinghouse
The national clearinghouse for initial eligibility for all collegiate student-athletes is the NCAA Clearinghouse. You will have to be certified by the Clearinghouse in order to compete in college. Most people take care of this in the spring or summer of their senior year. You must go online and register with the clearinghouse at: http://www.ncaaclearinghouse.net/. In addition, your high school must send an official transcript, test scores, and proof of graduation. Most high school guidance counselors are familiar with this process and will facilitate your requests.

Questionnaire
Please fill out the recruit form on this link. It will be forwarded to the sport’s recruiting coordinator. Please note that NCAA rules do not allow coaches to send recruiting materials to prospects until Sept. 1 at the beginning of a prospect’s junior year in high school. They may send only a questionnaire before that time.

Unofficial Visit
You may visit Yale University at any time before and including your senior year. There is no limit on the number of times you may visit at your own expense. (In men’s basketball, a prospect may not make unofficial visits during the month of July). You may be issued three complementary tickets to a Yale athletic contest issued only through a gate list.

Official Visit
An official visit is a visit to the institution that is financed in whole or part by Yale. This visit may not exceed 48 hours. Yale may pay the transportation costs to and from our campus for the prospect, but not the prospects parents, legal guardians or coach. Once on campus meals, lodging and entertainment comparable to that of normal student life may be provided to the prospect and the prospect’s parents or legal guardians. Prospects may make up to 5 official paid visits to college campuses.
Financial Aid
No school in the Ivy League offers aid based on athletic ability. Like all Ivy League institutions, Yale University offers financial aid based on need. Please go to the following link for more information on financial aid at Yale.

Admissions
Yale University encourages students to apply using the online application system. Please use the following link for information on admissions.

NCAA Guide for the College Bound Student-Athlete
Important information can be found at the following website.
Information about the Ivy League can be found here.

The Course at Yale and Maltby Lakes Recreation Area

200 Conrad Drive, New Haven, CT 06515

In 1924, a 700-acre tract of swamp and woodland was given to Yale by Mrs. Ray Tompkins in memory of her husband. Under the supervision of Charles Blair Macdonald, the renowned golf course architect, champion golfer, and co-founder of the USGA, plans were made for an 18-hole golf course. With a budget of $400,000, Macdonald, in collaboration with Seth Raynor and Charles Banks, designed a masterpiece.

In addition to being the home of Yale’s nationally ranked golf teams, “The Course at Yale” serves as the home competition course and practice venue for Yale cross country. The course provides a welcome respite from the hustle and bustle of downtown New Haven and gives Yale distance and middle distance runners an incredibly scenic, bucolic and challenging place to train and compete. In addition to being able to run on the course itself, Yale athletes are afforded the opportunity to train on the numerous dirt trails that surround the golf course.

Directly abutting the Yale Golf Course is the Maltby Lakes Recreation Area, supervised by the New Haven Regional Water Authority. Maltby offers miles of dirt fire roads and single track trails for Yale cross country and track athletes to train on year-round. Although only a short run from Yale’s Smilow Fieldhouse, the Maltby Lakes trails offer a serene alternative to the nearby busy downtown area of New Haven and are big enough to offer a variety of different runs. Athletes can access these trails without ever having to run on pavement when beginning their runs from either the indoor or outdoor tracks.

Coxe Cage

73 Derby Avenue, New Haven, CT 06515

Coxe Cage is the home of the Yale men’s and women’s indoor track and field teams. In 2005, Coxe Cage underwent major renovations, installing a banked Mondo track as well as a Mondo infield. The renovations were able to take place due to the generosity of Donald M. Roberts ’57, who named the track the Frank Shorter ’69 Track, to honor the former Yale cross country captain and two-time Olympic medalist. The track is one of the premier venues in the United States, and provides Yale athletes with an unparalleled training and competition facility. A new digital scoreboard was installed as well.

“It’s an incredible facility with a banked track that provides a much faster running surface than the flat tracks generally do at a lot of schools. It’s a really nice surface. The facility itself is older-looking but it’s a very natural and rustic environment to run in. The track is very fast and comparable to most tracks on the East Coast. More of the heralded tracks on the East Coast are at places such as the Armory and the Boston University track — they are considered to be the fastest — and I really think that this track is just as quick.”

–Georgetown’s Andrew Bumbalough, who ran a 3:58.46 mile on the Frank Shorter ’69 Track at Coxe Cage during the 2008 Giegengack Invitational

The Cage was named for Charles Edmund Coxe (1893), a hammer thrower on Yale’s squad. Legend has it that Coxe, who was charged with raising funds for the new facility, could not be bothered with such efforts and instead offered the necessary $300,000 to build the facility on the stipulation that it be named for him. Yale accepted the offer and began construction on what was then considered to be one of the largest structures of its kind in the world. Measuring over 356 feet long and 156 across, with a ceiling reaching almost 83 feet, the building encompasses over 3.3 million cubic feet of air space. To this day its 26,000 square foot skylight is among the largest anywhere. At the time of the Cage’s construction, its track was designed to be one of the fastest in the east. At the opening ceremony for the new facility, Yale’s half-mile relay ran an exhibition in a time of 1:32.4, better than any previous indoor mark.

In 1982, Coxe Cage also underwent major renovations. The old cinder track and dirt floor were removed in favor of a state of the art, “tuned”, En-tout-cas oval and infield. The track was mounted on a structure designed to allow the runner to train more consistently without suffering the strain and injury incurred on other surfaces. At the time of its installation it was thought to be the most advanced track of its kind. In 1988, another track was installed.

All field events can be contested within the oval, including the shot put and weight throw.

Coxe Cage and the William Clay Ford Indoor Track Center have played host to many major championship meets, including multiple ECAC championships and national scholastic championships.

Cullman-Heyman Tennis Center

279 Derby Avenue, West Haven, CT 06515

The Yale tennis facilities are easily among the best in the world. The outdoor courts provide a perfect tennis background with a combination of pine trees and Yale blue wind screens surrounding each court. Picturesque silhouettes of the famous Yale Bowl and Walter Camp Gate can be seen from the entire outdoor venue, which also includes a beautiful courtyard with picnic benches and a lush grass surface that is outlined by a new brick surface.

The complex consists of 22 outdoor Deco Turf II courts, five outdoor clay courts, eight indoor surfaces and a 15,000-seat tennis stadium with one court. The Pilot Pen Tennis Tournament is played on the outdoor courts each August. The stadium, known as the Connecticut Tennis Center, is the fourth-largest in the world and third-largest in the United States. Only the sites of the U.S. Open and the French Open have larger seating capacities than the Connecticut Tennis Center.

The indoor facility, Cullman-Heyman Tennis Center, also includes a large viewing area both at court level and from above, locker rooms and a reception area. Cullman-Heyman — which was renovated, expanded and resurfaced in 2008 — is often used for winter and spring matches and practice until the weather permits outdoor play.

The complex, three miles from the campus, is situated next to the Joel E. Smilow ’54 Field Center, the building that houses one of the athletic training and weight lifting areas used by Yale tennis players.

Cuyler Field and Dwyer Track, Frank Field

The home of Yale track and field since its inception as a sport in the 1870s, Dewitt Cuyler Field and the Dwyer Track are among the premier track and field facilities in the nation. The eight lane En-tout-cas surface was laid in 1981, replacing a legendary cinder oval, the likes of which had rarely been scene. The old track had two 200-meter straightaways, enabling runners to race a one-turn 400-meter dash and a straight 200-meter dash. The new layout was resurfaced in the summer of 1995 in preparation for the Special Olympics World Games.

The creative layout of the facility allows for competition in all events including the hammer, discus and javelin within the complex. Sprint straightaways are marked to allow for competition in both directions depending on the prevailing winds, and multi-directional runways in the long and triple jumps and the pole vault allow for optimal performance. A huge high jump apron makes for a great jumping area. Three shot-put circles, two hammer/discus cages and an all-weather javelin runway make the facility a thrower’s dream.

Bleachers on the sprint straightaway seat 1,500, making the complex a tremendous host site for championship meets. Dewitt Cuyler and Yale have served as hosts for three IC4A championships (most recently in the spring of 2004) and five Heptagonal Championships (most recently in 2008). In the summer of 1995, 5,000 Special Olympics Athletes from around the world competed in the Special Olympics World Games at the facility.

The infield of the track serves as Frank Field, named after Yale Heisman Trophy winner Clint Frank ’38. It is a practice field for the Yale varsity football team, and hosts junior varsity football games in the fall.

DeWitt Family Field

70 Central Avenue, New Haven, CT 06515

The William O. DeWitt ’63 Family Field is the home of Yale softball. The 350-seat stadium designed by architect Brian A. Ameche, AIA ’75 of New Haven and built by Clark Construction Company of Delhi, N.Y., is set against a wooded hillside which serves as a natural wind screen and at the same time provides for a magnificent backdrop for the stadium. The professional quality infield balances drainage concerns with the need for excellent playing conditions.

The field dimensions are 200 feet to the corners and 220 to the tree lined fence in dead center field. Spectators can also enjoy the game sitting atop a berm high above the right field fence line. Concrete sunken dugouts sit underneath the stands and twin bullpens stretch along the base lines. Located behind the third base Yale dugout are two fully-enclosed batting cages equipped for use with a pitching machine. Perched overlooking the backstop fence is a fully-enclosed press box. Adjacent to the stadium is the Johnson Field, a new 750-seat artificial turf stadium, the new home of Yale field hockey and lacrosse.

Ingalls Rink

73 Sachem Street, New Haven, CT 06510

David S. Ingalls Rink, located near the heart of the Yale Campus on the corner of Prospect and Sachem Streets, is one of the most distinguished collegiate hockey facilities in the country. A major renovation in 2008 and 2009 has preserved that tradition while also dramatically adding to the usable space in the facility thanks to an underground addition. The rink was recently featured on ESPN.com.

The home of Bulldog men’s hockey since 1958 and women’s hockey since 1977, the rink has been dubbed the “Yale Whale” because of its hump-backed roof and arching, 300-foot backbone designed by renowned architect Eero Saarinen (although it has been said that the design depicted the grace involved in skating). Shortly after it opened, Ingalls, which replaced the New Haven Arena (1927-59) as home of the Elis, was featured in Sports Illustrated. The construction cost was $1.5 million, which was twice the orginal budget.

The arena is named in honor of David S. Ingalls ’20, who twice captained the Yale hockey team, and his son David Jr. ’56 who served as captain of his freshman and varsity teams. Gifts from the Ingalls family provided the bulk of the funding for its construction.

The rink, with a capacity of 3,500, is made of concrete with an aluminum roof supported by cables. The famous ceiling is 76 feet high at its zenith. Ingalls also contains a weight room, locker rooms, and a reception room — the Schley Room — that houses Yale team photos dating back to 1895.

Ingalls’ playing surface, which is 200 feet long and 85 feet wide, is among the best in the country.

Ingalls Rink, staffed by Director of Operations Butch Bellemore and his assistants, is also the home of recreational skating, the Figure Skating Club (www.yale.edu/yfsc), Intramural hockey and Yale Youth Hockey.

Johnson Field

70 Central Avenue, New Haven, CT 06515

Johnson Field opened as the new home of Yale Field Hockey in the spring of 2001. The 750-seat synthetic turf complex sits adjacent to DeWitt Family Field, the home of Yale Softball. Stadium seating for Johnson Field is along the east side of the complex. Entrance to the bleacher stadium is up a concourse walkway behind the seats with bridge access to the bleachers from the top level preventing interference with spectators in their seats viewing a contest. A press box with camera access above sits at midfield overlooking the field. On the opposite, or west, side of the field there is a berm lined with trees where spectators can sit on the grass and watch the game.

The synthetic turf field is 240′ x 390′. The Astroturf 12XL system on a 35mm thick elastic layer is the top-of-the-line synthetic turf system manufactured today. The entire field is placed over a free draining Dynamic Stone (porous stone) base with additional sub drainage. The turf surface is equipped with an underground manual irrigation system. The field has permanent dark green inlayed lines markings 50 yards x 100 yards with horizontal lines every 5 yards for use by the football team. All other playing lines will be painted on the surface for the sports that are in their primary playing season. A 10′ blacktop perimeter boarders the field.

The field is lighted for night play with a sports lighting system capable of providing a minimum of 50 foot-candles over the entire playing field. The sport lighting system provides for glare and spill control thereby only lighting the playing field and not the surrounding areas.

Johnson Field also served as the home of Yale Women’s Lacrosse from 2000 through 2008.

McNay Family Sailing Center

179 Clark Avenue, Branford, CT 06405

The facility known as the Yale Sailing Center was officially renamed June 3, 2006 to the McNay Family Sailing Center at Yale University to honor a generous gift to the school’s sailing program. A dedication ceremony and reception took place at the center, located on Long Island Sound.

“The exceptional generosity of the Joseph McNay family has provided current and future Yale sailors a top-notch varsity intercollegiate experience. The operational support of the program, the endowment of the head coaching position and the restoration of a spectacular facility have all been achieved because of this extraordinary Yale family. We could never thank them enough,” said Tom Beckett, Yale’s Director of Athletics.

The original sailing center was constructed in 1967 and renovated with the McNay gift in 2002, which also funded the women’s and co-ed teams’ move to varsity status that spring.

“I am really excited that the McNays are being recognized for a gift that allows us to take the program to the next level. They have been tremendously supportive to us in many ways,” said Zach Leonard ’89, the McNay Family Director of Yale Sailing.

The McNay Family Sailing Center is a state of the art facility that includes a kitchen, living quarters, offices, classroom space, lockers and a full maintenance area. The center houses a fleet of 420 racing dinghies, augmented by FJs, Lasers, windsurfers and three safety launches. The sailing area is located on open water and boasts among the finest wind and waves in all of college sailing.

The Yale Sailing Team has produced scores of All-Americans (including three-time honoree Stuart McNay ’04), world champions and Olympic medalists in its long history. In fact, nine Yale sailors have competed in Olympic Games with five medals between them. The women’s team won the 2004 National Dinghy Championships while the Bulldogs finished second at the 2005 Collegiate Team Racing Nationals. Yale has won the last two Ivy League Sailing Championships, while Eli sailors finished first, third and fifth at the 2006 Women’s Singlehanded National Championships.

The organization in operation at the McNay Family Sailing Center is the Yale Corinthian Yacht Club (YCYC), which was established in 1881 and is the oldest collegiate sailing club in the world. The club is comprised of Yale student members of the varsity co-ed and women’s sailing teams and sailing alumni known as the Yale Sailing Associates.

Payne Whitney Gymnasium

70 Tower Parkway, New Haven, CT 06520

Payne Whitney Gymnasium, which is in the process of an exterior restoration, was constructed in 1932 under the direction of John Russel Pope. The gym is one of the most complete units of indoor facilities in the world. The building was given to the University by the Whitney family in memory of their son Payne Whitney, class of 1898. The nine and one half story structure contains training centers for crew, gymnastics, swimming, general exercise, recreational and varsity strength and conditioning and a state of the art fencing salon.

The Dwyer Sports Medicine Center, located on the first floor, is the primary rehabilitation facility for Yale Athletics. The recently renovated center includes seven treatment tables, physician’s examination room, hydrotherapy room, dental mouthguard lab, isokinetic bicycles, a Kin Com Isokinetic testing and training device, an upper body ergometer, stairmaster and treadmill.

The highlight of the second floor is the Kiphuth Trophy Room, which features Yale memorabilia dating back to 1842. On each side of the tower are the wings which reach five and one-half stories in height. One wing is the John J. Lee Amphitheater, the home of Yale basketball, gymnastics and volleyball, and the other is the Robert J.H. Kiphuth Exhibition Swimming Pool. This historic building is currently in the midst of a $100 million renovation under the direction of the architectural firms of Ellerbe Becket and Cesar Pelli. Phase I of the renovation was completed with the opening of the William K. Lanman Center in April, 1999.

The Lanman Center adds 57,000 square feet of new space that provides four regulation basketball and volleyball courts, 20 basketball stations and six badminton courts, along with a one-eighth-mile indoor running track. Other additions in Phase I include 15 international squash courts and three exhibition courts, one of which is the only four-glass-wall court in the country. Also new is the magnificent 20,000-square foot Adrian C. “Ace” Israel Fitness Center, which includes the 7,000-square foot Brooks-Dwyer Varsity Strength and Conditioning Room. In addition, new locker rooms for varsity basketball, crew, fencing, gymnastics, squash, volleyball and women’s general membership were completed. Future phases include a 50-meter pool with a separate spring board and tower diving facility, expanded gymnastics and fencing centers and additional improvements to membership locker rooms and the John J. Lee Amphitheater lobby. Yale is proud to house one of the most magnificent gymnasiums in the world and is committed to ensuring that it meets the needs of today’s modern athlete. The new Payne Whitney Gymnasium will carry forth the great history and traditions of Yale Athletics into the next century.

Reese Stadium

75 Central Avenue, New Haven, CT 06515

2010 Yale Lacrosse Parking Map

For the 2010 lacrosse season we are asking all patrons, parents, spectators to park in the marked area. Tailgating can be done at your cars. The parking area is subject to change due to weather. In that situation, we request all to park on Central Avenue and Yale Avenue. There will be a parking attendant on site to direct you. Also, you will find that entrances into Reese Stadium have changed due to construction. Please do not enter the construction area at any time. This is a safety precaution.

As a friendly reminder, we do not allow the following into Reese Stadium: pets (of any size),alcohol, firearms, glass bottles, artificial noisemakers, chewing gun, sunflower seeds.

Reese Stadium, built in 1981 and in the process of being renovated thanks to a gift from the Reese family (Photo Gallery), is the home of the men’s and women’s soccer teams in the fall and the men’s and women’s lacrosse teams in the spring. It was originally known as the Soccer-Lacrosse Stadium prior to the Reese family’s donation. A donation from the Kempner family and an anonymous challenge gift helped move the renovation plans forward in the spring of 2008 (story).

Located between Coxe Cage and the Yale Bowl, Class of 1954 Field, the stadium has a seating capacity of 3,000 and is surrounded by a picturesque view of pine trees. Recent improvements include a new lighting system and Field Turf, which were installed in the winter of 2006-07.

The original lights were installed prior to the 1994 lacrosse season. On April 30, 1994, the Bulldogs played Hofstra in their first night lacrosse game at the stadium. The lights were a gift to the University by the Robert Merrick Foundation.

In addition to serving as the home of the Yale soccer team, the stadium also played host to numerous international soccer teams. It was used as the practice site for the U.S. national squad before its game against Juventus of Italy in June 1991 at the Yale Bowl and by Brazil in the opening game of the U.S. cup in ’93. In 1995, the stadium was the main soccer venue for the Special Olympics World Games.

Historic Yale Bowl also has a rich soccer history. Several international matches have been held in the Bowl over the years.

There is an enclosed, two-story press box which can comfortably handle all press and radio requests. However, we ask that requests be made no later than three days prior to a game. Arrangements for visiting radio can be made through the Sports Publicity Office.

Yale Bowl, Class of 1954 Field

Derby Avenue, West Haven, CT 06516

2009 Football Season
Fan Information

Parking for Football:

Tailgating for Football:

One of the true treasures in American sports, the historic Yale Bowl in in the midst of a complete renovation. The playing field was named the Class of 1954 after the generous gifts to support the renovation. This magnificent facility, which opened on November 21, 1914, for the Yale-Harvard game, has been the site of 569 Bulldog football games (entering the 2009 season), two seasons of NFL action, and was the main venue for the 1995 Special Olympic World Games.

The Bowl is 930 feet long and 750 feet wide, covering 12 1/2 acres. More than 320,000 cubic feet of earth was moved to form the bowl and the stadium now contains 22,000 cubic yards of concrete and 470 tons of steel. The capacity of the bowl is 61,446 (it was 70,869 before alterations in 1994 and 2006) and every seat has an unobstructed view of the playing field. The original seating capacity was 60,617 with an undetermined amount of standing room.

The Bowl has held crowds of over 70,000 on 20 occasions, the most recent on November 19, 1983, for the 100th playing of the Yale-Harvard Game. The largest crowd to attend a Yale game at the Bowl was 80,000 for the Army game on November 3, 1923. The crowd of 75,300 which attended the Yale-Harvard showdown in 1981 was the largest at a sporting event in New England in more than 50 years.

The NFL’s New York Giants and Detroit Lions brought professional football to the Bowl for the first time in the summer of 1960. The Giants, who played the New York Jets in a number of memorable exhibition contests during the 70’s, used the Bowl as their home field in 1973 and 1974 while Yankee Stadium was being renovated.

The design for the Yale Bowl was proposed by Charles A. Ferry, Class of 1871, as a replacement for Yale Field, the 33,000-seat home of the football team since 1884. Work began on the project in August, 1913, with 145 men working for the Sperry Engineering Company of New Haven. The portals were constructed first; then the excavation began. Once the 30-foot walls were formed to support the top rows of seats, the nearly 30 miles of wooden-backed seats were put in place. The cost of the final product: $750,000. An electrified scoreboard was added in 1958, and a new one was installed before the 2008 season. The new press box was erected in 1987. The day after the 1993 season came to an end, the Yale Bowl playing surface got a face lift, which included new irrigation and drainage systems.

The Special Olympics World Games, international soccer contests and other special events being hosted on a regular basis make the Bowl one of the most significant venues in the East.

Prior to the 2005 season, the Bowl was selected as one of the 40 best stadiums in which to experience college football by The Sporting News for its “Saturday Shrines” book. In September of 2008, it was namedNo. 43 on ESPN.com’s list of America’s 100 most important sports venues.

Yale Field

252 Derby Avenue, West Haven, CT 06516

Yale Field has a proud tradition that has produced legendary figures and historical events. What once was part of an apple orchard and farm, purchased by the school in 1882, is now a baseball field of major league proportions.

The Bulldogs have been playing on this land since the turn of the 20th century, when it was just an open field with a few bleachers. In 1927, Yale began construction on a concrete and steel structure that would cost approximately a half million dollars. There were bleachers along the outfield foul lines that allowed an overall seating capacity of 12,000 at Yale Field. The bleachers were removed when the Yale-Harvard games traditionally held on reunion weekend were discontinued in the 1960s. Most of the grandstand stood in its original form until 1993, when the project to produce the renovated stadium began.

The first game at newly renovated Yale Field was in 1928 and pitted the Bulldogs against the Eastern League New Haven Professionals. The first ball was thrown out by Mayor Tower of New Haven, and the pros blanked the home team, 12-0. This wasn’t the only time professional teams played there; Major League teams played games at Yale before and during World War II. Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig and Ted Williams all made appearances.

The pine trees that line the outfield fence gave Yale Field the look of a stadium. The tops of the trees are still visible, but the signage and taller home run fence also provide a stadium-like atmosphere.

The 35-foot, green, metal scoreboard in centerfield was likely built some time after play began at the renovated field in 1928, and it has certainly has seen a few titanic shots since then. Like fish-catching stories, tales of the great home runs clouted at Yale Field are difficult to substantiate, though Dan Thompson ’96 did crack one long ball far beyond the scoreboard in the 1995 Ivy League playoffs.

Ruth once remarked that the playing surface at Yale Field was the best he had ever seen, and not much of it changed during the renovation. The only alterations made were the shortening of the right field fence from 340 feet to 315 and the reduction of foul territory down the right field line. The dimensions are now (from left to right): 330-375-405-375-315.

Yale Field has been the site of many historic games for the Bulldog nine. The 1981 NCAA Northeast Regionals took place there, and the extra-inning thriller between future Major League Baseball stars Frank Viola of St. John’s and Yale’s Ron Darling was one of the most famous collegiate contests of all time. It was May 21, 1981, when the Eastern League champions played host to the Redmen, who won the game by a 1-0 count. Darling fired hitless baseball for 11 consecutive and scoreless innings, until the visitors finally broke up the no-hitter in the 12th stanza, which would eventually turn into the game-winning run on a double steal.

This collegiate baseball cathedral has hosted numerous commencement days, high school and American Legion playoff games and other special events. The New Haven Ravens, a Double-A Eastern League team, played at Yale Field from 1994 through 2003 and hosted the 1998 Double-A All-Star game there.

But the most talked about afternoon on this land may have been the day Ruth came to town in 1948. The Bambino came to present a copy of his autobiography to captain George Bush ’48, the now former United States President, for the Yale Library. It was one of the Babe’s last public appearances.

Legends do live at Yale Field, and the current Bulldogs look to perpetuate these legends and encourage new ones.

Source: Yale University